In Stratford-upon-Avon I’ve learned that there are nearly as many different ways to appreciate Shakespeare as there are people who do it. Our class had a voice lesson earlier the voice coach for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and my time with her showed me an entirely new way of looking at Shakespeare. As an English major and avid reader, I naturally spend most of my time focusing on Shakespeare’s words. However, I hadn’t considered the difference between his words written and spoken – not listening to an actor as a member of an audience, but speaking his words myself. It goes beyond what the words signify to what they are as sounds. How the consonants shape and mold the vowels, the body of the word; how the presence or lack of punctuation reveals the speaker’s mind by varying the pace of delivery; how Shakespeare gives certain kinds of sounds to certain kinds of characters.
You can even analyze Shakespeare through swordplay. There was a swordfighting demonstration at Mary Arden’s Farm, and the demonstrators broke down the fight scenes in Romeo and Juliet, explaining how the choice of swords acts as characterization. For example, Lord Capulet calling for his longsword signals that he’s an old man who has no business fighting anymore, and Tybalt’s use of a rapier – an expensive, imported sword – would have immediately made the lower class crowd hate him. The demonstrators also translated Benvolio’s description of Mercutio and Tybalt’s fight into stage action, and, never much of a Romeo fan, I wasn’t terribly surprised to learn that Mercutio was about to win before he intervened.
It’s astonishing to find out how deep the analysis of Shakespeare can go – from the sound of his words to swordplay. His works appear to have infinite complexity; the more you look, the more you see. But although it can be daunting, there’s something amazing about always being able to find new ways to study his writings. Shakespeare just wouldn’t be Shakespeare if you could learn all there is to know about him.